


1, 2, 3 this feeling (baby just don't move)

by lxvenxtes



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: ? maybe, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Crushes, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Obliviousness, hyuck is a shawol, is it a lxvenxtes fic if it doesnt have that tag?, nahyuck stupid, roller skating date, sorta?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 00:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21290336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lxvenxtes/pseuds/lxvenxtes
Summary: "Donghyuck, this is your new buddy guard," Despite trying to appear professional, Jaemin couldn’t hold back a cringe, "Agent Na."Just as Jaemin opened his mouth to introduce himself, ready to use his most charming smile, the kid said, "Your suit is stupid.""Donghyuck," Johnny scolded, turning to him with a frown."Sorry," he pasted a smile to his face. It was too wide, all teeth and no sweetness. "Your suit is stupid, Agent."-Jaemin babysits the bratty son of the President, and accidentally falls in love.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 22
Kudos: 294





	1, 2, 3 this feeling (baby just don't move)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boyeater](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyeater/gifts).

> MANDY! MANDU! MANDY CUTIE FACE! MY BABY!  
hope ur bday is as amazing as u are ilysm my angel ur so supportive n sweet n funny n ily  
i hope u like this

Jaemin had been a little startled when Johnny invited him out for coffee. They had never hung out just the two of them before, so it was a bit odd, unfamiliar even. The atmosphere of the cafe was nice, with its warm brown tones and the gentle hum of customers talking. It would've been nice overall if Jaemin wasn’t surprised by the suddenness of the meeting. This wasn't as surprising than what Johnny had just requested of him though.

“You want me to what?” he choked out, after his shock-induced coughing fit. He had spit coffee on the table in the process. Gross.

“I want you to be the president’s kid’s personal bodyguard,” Johnny repeated, looking amused as Jaemin sneakily tried to wipe his mess off the table.

“Why me?” His heart was pounding in his chest, and he didn’t want to pick up his cup in fear that his hands would shake. He was blindsided by the offer. The amount of pressure at even the thought of the job made him queasy.

“Jaehyun told me you wanna work for The Service one day, and I figured this would be a good way in.” Jaemin always forgot that his older brother was friends with a literal Secret Service agent. Johnny Seo didn’t have the cold, stone-faced image people would expect from someone in his profession. He was fun and easy to get along with and one of the nicest people Jaemin had ever met. That still didn't explain why he wanted Jaemin to work with him though.

“Ok, that’s really cool. But why?” Johnny pointedly avoided eye contact as he took a sip from his coffee.

"Have you seen the news recently?" he asked instead of responding to Jaemin's question. Jaemin nodded. Of course, he had seen the news. It had been on every TV, cellphone and computer screen for the past three days.

The President's Kid had sent half the country into a frenzy because he wasn't in his bedroom when he was supposed to be. It turned out that he had just snuck out to go to the movies.

Jaemin hadn’t really cared much about the kid or him sneaking out, but the apology press conference he did had painted him in a less than stellar light with the public.

The kid had stood in front of the reporters looking disinterested, his face blank and his fingers tapping on the podium as if he was counting down the minutes. His bright red hair and his baggy sweatshirt certainly hadn’t helped. The news stations had torn him apart, saying he looked sloppy and like an “uncaring inappropriate heathen”. Jaemin thought that was a bit excessive. People dyed their hair all the time, and he would want to wear something comfortable if he was going to be in front of tons of people with cameras and prying questions. 

Then the kid had recited an obviously scripted apology, not meeting anyone’s eyes as he stared blankly in the center of the room, and refused to take any questions afterward. After that, he walked away from the reporters hounding him and he hadn’t been spotted anywhere since.

“You want me to watch over the kid because he snuck out?” Jaemin asked, still unsure about why he was needed. “Don’t you Service guys have someone who can do that?”

Johnny smiled like Jaemin was being funny but he didn't see any humor in his question.

"I'm the guy that does that. But Donghyuck doesn't need a guard dog at this point. If he's going to get himself into trouble, he'll do it, even if I'm watching him," Johnny said, staring faraway over Jaemin's shoulder. There was something wistful and nostalgic in his eyes, so he definitely wasn't looking at the stale display pastries. A ghost of a smile was on his lips. Jaemin knew there was a story behind that stare.

"I still don't understand what you need me for," he admitted, wringing his hands together in his lap. Johnny blinked away his sentimental haze and smiled blindingly again. It reminded Jaemin of a car salesman about to make his pitch.

"I want you to be his friend."

~

Jaemin was anxious. He was starting his bodyguard duties today and he could only feel the nervous thrum of his heartbeat under his skin. He was a bit excited, but he mostly felt like he was going to sweat through his suit. 

His mom had forced him to change out of his school uniform and into his suit, which he rarely wore, only putting it on for weddings and special occasions. His parents were the only people he could tell about his new job, Johnny’s orders, and his mother was determined that he made a good first impression. She went on a rant about him being on his best behavior as he changed into the suit, warning him not to disgrace their family and to be nice to the president’s son so they didn’t have to go into Witness Protection. Or something of that nature. Jaemin had to tune the end half of her tirade out so he could focus on tying his tie.

Then Johnny had picked him up in what he thought was a very unsubtle black car with tinted windows, and they drove in silence for what felt like an hour but was only truly twenty-two minutes. Jaemin had counted as he distractedly played Mario Kart on his phone.

Now they were here, walking up the pathway to the steps to get into the President’s house. Jaemin was surprised people actually lived in it. He always assumed it was just a pretense to trick the public, so the President and his family could live somewhere else undetected.

Johnny opened the door with a key that had a little picture of the president’s face on it. Jaemin wanted to ask if the key changed with the changing of the presidents or if it was just something the new guy started. But he held his breath because Johnny was in Secret Service Professional Mode and probably wouldn’t enjoy stupid questions.

They stepped into a big lobby like area and Jaemin could hear the echo of every footstep they took. The room was huge and almost vacant, except for two small round tables holding extravagant vases filled with sunflowers. Other than that there was nothing but three closed doors.

“You stay here, okay? I’m gonna go get Donghyuck,” Johnny announced, turning to Jaemin. He looked serious, eyeing Jaemin and his suit with the scariest stare he’d seen from the man. Something in his eyes was stony and it made Jaemin want to hide under the table next to him. Then his mouth quirked up on one side and his eyes turned into liquid comfort again. He placed a hand on Jaemin’s shoulder, squeezing a bit harder than he probably intended.

“Don’t be nervous, alright? Hyuck’s a good kid, only a couple months older than you. He won’t bite. Probably,” Johnny advised and Jaemin couldn’t hold back a snort. “You got this. I’ll be right back.”

Johnny walked out after his pep talk, going through the door farthest from where Jaemin stood. Though his words were reassuring, Jaemin could still feel his stomach trying to jump into his throat.

He stood in silence, looking around the empty room as he tried to calm his heartbeat. He couldn’t quite figure out exactly why he was so nervous. The president's kid was just a normal boy, who happened to be the son of the most powerful man in the country. It was fine. Jaemin didn’t think Johnny or anyone involved with the kid would let anything happen to them. He couldn’t think of a legitimate reason for the nerves flying around his body.

The door Johnny left through opened, cutting his budding meltdown short. Johnny entered first, with the president’s son behind him, hidden from view. Jaemin didn’t know if it was intentional or if Johnny was just that tall. Either way, Johnny shot him another smile, before turning to Donghyuck with could only be described as a warning look. Jaemin had seen that same look before from his parents, many times.

Johnny cleared his throat before he began to speak. 

"Donghyuck, this is your new buddy guard," Despite trying to appear professional, Jaemin couldn’t hold back a cringe, "Agent Na."

Johnny had insisted Jaemin be called an agent, even though he wasn’t one officially, in order to protect his privacy. It didn’t make sense to Jaemin. How was he supposed to make friends if the kid couldn’t know who he was?

Johnny stepped to the side and there he was. Lee Donghyuck. He stood there in his cherry red-haired glory, pieces of it sticking up as if he had just woken up. The tufts of hair looked like devil horns on the side of his head, and Jaemin had the fleeting thought that maybe they were an omen.

Just as Jaemin opened his mouth to introduce himself, ready to use his most charming smile, the kid said, "Your suit is stupid." 

He said it like it was a fact. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Your suit is stupid.

Jaemin knew the suit was too much even as he was putting it on. But stupid was a bit much. It felt deliberately mean-spirited.

"Donghyuck," Johnny scolded, turning to him with a frown. Donghyuck stared at him, blinking slowly, unfazed. He looked tiny next to Johnny, standing in his socks and an oversized sweatshirt (it looked like the same one from the press conference), but that didn’t seem to deter him from his overt boredom at being chastised. Johnny’s frown shifted into a glare and Donghyuck huffed. With an eye roll, he turned back to Jaemin and looked him over the same way a cat looks at its owners. Complete disinterest.

"Sorry," he pasted a smile to his face. It was too wide, all teeth and no sweetness. "Your suit is stupid, Agent." Johnny let out a cough of surprise. Jaemin though he was still offended couldn’t stop himself from letting a snort slip out. A surprised look sprang on Donghyuck’s face. Raised eyebrows, mouth twisting into a small “o”. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, leaving only the same blank expression.

-

After their tense introductions, they’d been sent to Donghyuck’s room so Johnny would do whatever it was Secret Service dudes did. It felt kind of like being shoved to a kiddie table when your parents had all the fun at a party.

Donghyuck sat on his bed, on top of his comforter, and furiously tapped on his phone. His face was twisted in a pout, the first real emotion Jaemin had seen from him.

Unsure of whether or not he should sit, Jaemin awkwardly looked around the room, with his hands behind his back.

The room was way bigger than his room back home. He could probably fit two of his rooms into Donghyuck's room. But it all felt very sterile, almost like a hospital. The walls were white with nothing on them. No pictures or posters. There was nothing on his desk except a stack of notebooks and textbooks. The tops of his dressers were barren as well. Jaemin couldn’t think of a single place in his room that didn’t have stuff on it. This room was too clean and had no personality at all. Kind of like what Donghyuck had shown him so far.

As if he could hear himself being thought about, Donghyuck cleared his throat obnoxiously. Jaemin looked over at him and frowned at the dirty look he was given.

“You can sit down you know. I’m not gonna bite you,” Donghyuck snapped. His tone sounded like he was ready to bite, even if his words didn’t. Jaemin held back a snarky comment, and nodded.

“Uh, where do you want me to sit?” Donghyuck answered his question with a scoff, before pointing beside himself on the bed. Then his phone lit up in his hand and Jaemin lost his attention.

Slowly, still unsure if this was breeching on Donghyuck's boundaries or personal space, Jaemin walked over to the bed and sat beside him. He made sure he was on the other end of the bed, more than an arm's length away.

"What's your real name?" Donghyuck asked, not looking away from his screen. From what Jaemin could see, he was texting someone, and he'd sent them a long, long text. Jaemin couldn't see a response. Donghyuck turned the screen off and dropped it next to his legs. Then he turned and sent Jaemin that now-familiar bored expression.

He was kind of cute, now that Jaemin was looking at him up close. His hair made him look bright all over, almost glowing in a way. Like someone had turned his saturation up. He had a button nose and moles in his cheeks that made him look elegant somehow. He wondered if they made a shape, like a connect the dots game. His eyes were milk chocolate brown, staring expectantly back at Jaemin. Which made him remember he had been asked a question.

"Oh," he cleared his throat, feeling awkwardness fill the room. "Uh, sorry, I'm Jaemin. Na Jaemin. Please don't tell Johnny I told you or he'll beat me up."

Donghyuck snorted and sent him a smirk. "Johnny wouldn't lay a hand on you. He's a teddy bear."

Jaemin wasn't so sure about that. He'd seen the news report a few months back that called Johnny a hero when he'd taken down a man with a gun at a presidential rally. He'd made it look easy, taking the guy down in less than a minute. He'd saved tons of lives, but he refused to talk about it whenever anyone asked. Just said it was in the job description before moving on.

"You look all starry-eyed. You got a crush on him or something?" Donghyuck asked, tilting his head and smirking again. It didn't feel like he was being mocked. Definitely teased, but mostly curious.

Jaemin shook his head, feeling his cheeks heat up despite the fact that there was no reason to.

"Hero worship then? You wanna be a big tough service agent?" Donghyuck looked him up and down. Checking him out, his mind supplied and he inwardly scoffed. Donghyuck would not be checking him out. A boy like Donghyuck would have no interest in him.

“I wanna help people. And what’s helping people more than keeping the most powerful person in the country alive, you know?” Jaemin admitted, feeling weirdly vulnerable. He hadn’t even told his parents why he wanted to join the Service, but here he was blurting it out to someone who couldn’t care less.

“That’s kinda sweet, I guess,” Donghyuck replied, eyes shining with curiosity as he scanned Jaemin’s face. Jaemin could feel himself smiling before he could stop it, and Donghyuck’s face shifted to that cold emotionless stare again. “Still mostly lame though.”

Jaemin tried the best that he could to ignore the ice spreading in his chest.

-

It had been approximately two weeks since Jaemin started his job with Donghyuck. He didn’t want to call it a friendship, even though that was the job’s sole purpose. But it didn’t feel like a friendship yet.

For two weeks, he had gotten nothing but vacant stares and radio silence from Donghyuck. He could count what he knew about him on three fingers.

His name is Donghyuck.  
His hand is practically glued to his phone.  
He’s homeschooled.

He only found out the homeschool thing last week, when he brought his homework and Donghyuck started asking him about public school. Apparently, he’d been homeschooled his entire life. That was baffling to Jaemin, but Donghyuck refused to talk about it. He only wanted to know if public school was as awful as the media made it seem. Jaemin had said yes and no, and Donghyuck had that same curious look that Jaemin saw when they first met. Then Johnny had come in, asking Donghyuck if he had eaten recently, and the spell was broken.

Now today was Wednesday and Jaemin had a test the following day, so he was going to try to rope Donghyuck into helping him study.

Opening the door to the bedroom, Jaemin froze in shock.

Donghyuck was in the center of the room, dancing along to the Shinee music video playing on his laptop, body flowing like water, and singing his heart out. The song playing was Replay, and Donghyuck seemed to have every move memorized, his eyes closed as he sang. His voice was beautiful. It was honey was flowing from his mouth, sticky sweet. Jaemin felt like he could listen to it forever and never be unhappy.

Unfortunately, Donghyuck seemed to sense that he was being watched because he stopped singing and turned around. He glared as soon as he saw Jaemin in the doorway. 

"Why are you watching me? That's creepy," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He was pouting, his lips twisted into a frown and his cheeks puffed out. He looked like a child. Well, a child with firetruck red hair.

“It’s my job to watch you,” Jaemin reminded and Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “And, besides, that was kind of cute.”

Jaemin didn’t know why he said that. It was like his brain to mouth filter decided to sabotage him.

The night before he’d begrudgingly realized he was being to develop a sort of crush on Donghyuck. It wasn’t some shocking revelation, not Cupid hitting him over the head. He had just been watching a movie with his parents and wondered if Donghyuck would like it because he didn’t seem to like anything. He couldn’t help but think about why he cared so much about what Donghyuck would like, then his brain interjected with the fact that he cared if Donghyuck liked him. This made him realize he kind of maybe liked Donghyuck despite his attitude problem. He was pretty when he gave Jaemin the rare smile, the one that made him shimmer, and he was funny even if his humor was strictly making fun of Jaemin.

At the end of his realization, he’d made a deal with himself that he wouldn’t tell anyone about his crush. Not his parents, Johnny and definitely not Donghyuck. He’d die before he told Donghyuck.

But his brain didn’t seem to remember to uphold its half of the deal.

Donghyuck stared at him, still glaring, and it might’ve been a trick of the light, but Jaemin could’ve sworn he was blushing.

“Shut up,” he muttered weakly before turning his glare to Jaemin’s bookbag. “What homework did you bring?” Jaemin was reminded of his plan to make Donghyuck quiz him and smiled.

-

An hour later, Jaemin had given up on being quizzed and Donghyuck threw his flashcards up in the air like confetti. They were still sprawled on the floor, as Jaemin and Donghyuck sat on the bed. Still an arm’s length apart. Jaemin tried not to think about the distance.

“You know,” he started and Donghyuck actually looked over at him, turning off his phone screen to make eye contact. It was progress. “I didn’t think you’d be into all that idol stuff.”

Instead of spitting back a remark, an insult maybe, Donghyuck’s eyes widened in excitement. Jaemin saw that same face when Jaemin had given him permission to throw the flashcards.

“I want to show you something,” Donghyuck said, now grinning. Before Jaemin could get distracted by the pretty flash on his teeth, Donghyuck grabbed his wrist, yanking him from where he was sitting. He pulled him to his closet and threw the door open with so much force, Jaemin was surprised it didn’t fly off the hinges.

Donghyuck pushed his clothes to one side, and Jaemin noticed a suit he’d never seen Donghyuck wear at any of the presidential press stuff.

Before he could say anything, Donghyuck was turning on a light and forcefully turning his head. There was a bookshelf hidden in the back of his closet. Stepping closer, and becoming acutely aware of the fact that Donghyuck was still holding his wrist. He could feel the other’s boys fingertips over his pulse point. 

Looking closer, he could see that the bookcase wasn’t filled with books, but with CDs and movies. The top shelf was filled with Shinee paraphernalia.

“You keep your Shinee stuff in your closet?” Jaemin asked. “Is that some kind of gay joke?” 

Donghyuck laughed, throwing his head back like he couldn’t stop himself. It made Jaemin’s heart glow in his chest, warmth seeping into his bones and light flowing through his veins.

~

It’s been a month of trying to befriend Donghyuck, and Jaemin can feel the icy exterior the other boy finally beginning to thaw. But in the process of getting Donghyuck to be his friend, he began to forget about his other friends. Which was why he had Renjun and Jeno staring him down as he grabbed his things out of his locker at the end of the school day.

“I know your new top secret job is busy,” Jeno started, Renjun interjecting with “Or so you say”. Jaemin wasn’t ready for whatever conversation they wanted to have. Every time Renjun and Jeno were mad at him it felt like he was being ganged up on by a golden retriever and an angry kitten. “But that doesn’t mean you can ditch us without an explanation.”

Jaemin frowned. He was kind of a jerk in this moment. The day before, he was supposed to hang out with his friends after work, but he’d stayed late watching music videos with Donghyuck, seeing how many of the dances he knew. He couldn’t help but stay behind, not when he saw how happy Donghyuck was. 

“I’m really sorry guys. I stayed later at work than I usually do. It completely slipped my mind to call or text,” he explained. Thankfully it wasn’t a lie. He had forgotten to message them, because he was so distracted by Donghyuck and his blinding smile and the beautiful sound of his laughter.

“It’s okay. That makes more sense than Renjun’s stupid theory. Just call us next time, okay?” Jeno said smiling nervously at him. Jaemin nodded to reassure him.

“What was your idea?” he asked, turning to Renjun.

“That you have a secret girlfriend,” Renjun said, staring at Jaemin like he was challenging him. Jeno helpfully added, “Or boyfriend.”

“I don’t have a secret boyfriend,” Jaemin exclaimed with a laugh, then realized that’s exactly what would have given him away if he did have a secret partner.

“Oh, really?” Renjun asked, raising an eyebrow. Jaemin knew he was about to start listing “proof”. He always did this when he had a new conspiracy theory, except it was usually about ghosts or aliens and not Jaemin’s non-existence love life. Hopefully the evidence was nothing substantial. He didn’t know how obvious he was about his crush, and briefly wondered if Donghyuck had picked up on it.

“Then why have you been all smiley at the end of the day?”

“Because school is over?” Jaemin offered.

“No, you’re like stupid happy. Like excessively happy,” Renjun accused. Jeno, looking affronted on Jaemin’s behalf, interrupted with “Why do you sound so angry about him being happy?”

“I don’t like him keeping secrets from us. Secret job! Secret boyfriend!” Renjun cried, flinging his arms in the air, like some kind of outraged cartoon character.

“But I don’t have a secret boyfriend!” Jaemin sighed, suddenly exhausted. Keeping secrets from someone as inquisitive as Renjun was unnecessarily tiring. “But I do have a crush on a guy I work with.” 

It wasn’t a complete lie and it seemed to appease Renjun, who laughed excitedly. Jeno and him started asking questions like excited children and Jaemin smiled. He didn’t really think about sharing his crush with them, because nothing would come out of, but it felt good to get it off his chest.

“What’s his name?” Renjun asked, not just satisfied with one secret reveal. Jeno scoffed.

“Leave him alone,” he said, smacking Renjun on the shoulder. He earned a glare and Jaemin smiled as they started bickering. Jaemin felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he pulled it out as Jeno called Renjun “the nosiest person he’d ever met”. He had a text from Johnny telling him he was outside and a text from an unknown number.

From: Unknown  
hey do u wanna watch a movie today?  
It’s donghyuck by the way :) 

Unable to stop himself from grinning, Jaemin pocketed his phone again, looking at his still arguing friends. “As riveting as this is I have to get to work.”

-

Walking into Donghyuck’s room, he saw him hugging a guy he’d never seen before. Donghyuck looked lovesick, resting his head on the guy’s shoulder with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. Jaemin felt something hot and envious twist in his stomach, like a fire poker twisting up his insides. He cleared his throat and they pulled apart.

“Uh, who’s the guy?” he asked, unable to phrase his question eloquently, too distracted by his own jealous thoughts.

Donghyuck grinned, the same smile he had when showing Jaemin his CD collection. “Jaem, this is Mark. He’s gonna be an intern here.” Jaemin couldn’t even enjoy the fact that Donghyuck had called him a nickname, because he was looking at Mark. He had big eyes, that kept glancing at Donghyuck, and a pretty smile he kept directing at Donghyuck and a hand on Donghyuck’s back.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Jaemin muttered, unsure of what else to say.

“Nice to meet you too. Hyuckie’s told me a lot about you,” Mark said, and there was something teasing in his eyes that Jaemin didn’t understand. Donghyuck elbowed him in the ribs, muttering something about him being a traitor.

The words out of his mouth before he could think it through, Jaemin said, “That’s funny because Donghyuck’s never mentioned you”.

Donghyuck shot him a surprised look as Mark laughed, looking unfazed. Thank God.

“I can see why you like him, Hyuck,” Mark said, looking back to Donghyuck with his eyes glittering in amusement. Donghyuck punched him on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go do intern things now.”

Mark walked to the doorway, looked back at them and laughed again before walking away. Jaemin wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Before Donghyuck could say anything about him being rude, Jaemin asked how he knew Mark.

Donghyuck ignored his question at first, going to sit on his bed and pulling Jaemin beside him. There was definitely less than an arm’s length between them now. Maybe a hand’s length at this point. It comforted him knowing they were both comfortable enough to sit close together.

“Mark and I used to go to the same daycare back when my dad had to do government stuff when I was younger. Our moms became friends and we keep in touch sometimes,” Donghyuck explained, shrugging. Jaemin wanted to ask why he looked so happy when he was hugging him, why he had told Mark about him, but not the other way around. But he knew that if he did, he would get shut out. So instead he changed the subject.

“How’d you get my number?” he asked, smirking. He hadn’t really meant for it to be flirty but it came out that way. Donghyuck flushed, shoving his shoulder.

“I asked Johnny for it. I’ve been asking for a while and he finally gave in,” Donghyuck admitted, not looking him in the eyes, his cheeks still pink. Jaemin didn’t understand why he was avoiding eye contact but he didn’t want to pry.

“Really? Why didn’t you ask me?” he said, trying to keep the teasing tone out of his voice. He was mostly successful. Donghyuck snorted and met his eyes again.

“Johnny kept saying it was unprofessional for us to share numbers. I told him professionalism went out the window when you saw me do the Red Flavor dance.” Jaemin laughed in shock at his honesty. Donghyuck and his honesty had been surprising him a lot lately.

“What movie did you wanna watch?” he asked and Donghyuck ran to his closet, almost tripping over himself in his eagerness. Smiling to himself, Jaemin grabbed his laptop so he could play whatever movie Donghyuck brought back. 

For the rest of the night, they watched movies in bed with Donghyuck’s head in his lap, his fingers playing with his now fading strands of hair.

-

It’s been roughly three months since Jaemin started working with Donghyuck, if it could even be called that anymore. Jaemin wasn’t sure having Donghyuck teaching him the dance to Taemin’s “Move” or reenacting scenes from Train To Busan over the phone really constituted as work.

But now Jaemin was out of school for summer break. He didn’t know if that would help or harm his relationship with Donghyuck. It meant more time for them to hang out, but he didn’t want to be overbearing. Deciding he could deal with it later in the summer, he walked into Donghyuck’s room.

The other boy was wrapped in his blanket, with his hair covered in dye, sticking up wildly. Jaemin laughed, making him look over.

“No, don’t look at me when I look like this!” Donghyuck cried, trying to cover himself with the blanket the best he could without it touching his head. Jaemin laughed harder at the sight, doubling over. Donghyuck started to pout at him, and Jaemin stopped laughing when he was smacked by the thought that he wanted to kiss the look away. 

“You don’t look bad! You look cute. Like a strawberry,” he rambled, feeling nervous for no reason. It’s not like Donghyuck had heard his thoughts. Donghyuck thanked him with a smile and Jaemin almost swooned.

He was about to ask what their plans were for today when Donghyuck ran out of the room, blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. Jaemin watched the blue fabric disappear and he followed, bewildered. Donghyuck was acting even weirder than usual.

He followed the other boy’s footsteps to the kitchen where he’d only been a handful of times. Donghyuck was grinning at a tiny woman he’d only seen on the news. It was The First Lady.

“Hi Mama,” Donghyuck said, looking like a pleased child. Mrs. Lee didn’t look up from her phone, but she did smile to herself.

“Hi, sweetheart. You’re dying your hair again,” she noted, finally looking up. Donghyuck nodded, eyes shining. He looked illuminated from the inside out. “Who’s your friend?”

Mrs. Lee looked over at him and Jaemin felt himself go tense and turn red. The First Lady was looking at him. He wished he could tell his friends about it.

“Oh!” Donghyuck said, as if he had forgotten Jaemin was there. He walked over, grabbing Jaemin by his hand to pull him over to where his mother stood. “Mom, this is my friend, Jaemin.”

Jaemin felt like if he spoke, he would’ve passed out on the spot, so he just waved. The First Lady’s eyes on him and Donghyuck’s fingers slotted between his own made him feel like he was in sensory overload.

Up close, Jaemin could see that Donghyuck got his looks from his mother. She had the same golden skin, and the same sparkly eyes. She even smiled the same.

“I have to wash the dye out of my hair soon, but are we still watching a movie tonight?” Donghyuck asked her, and Jaemin found himself enchanted by the sweetness in his voice. He was so cute when he wanted to be. Mrs. Lee nodded and Donghyuck pulled her into a hug. His blanket fell to the ground, and Jaemin realized almost immediately that he was shirtless. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the honey brown expanse of his back. His skin was dotted with the same moles that were on his face. Jaemin watched, entranced as his shoulder blades moved as he backed away from his mother and picked up his comforter.

He turned to Jaemin, who was as red as the dye in his hair, with an easy smile on his face.

“You wanna help me rinse the dye out?” he asked and Jaemin nodded before he even considered it.

-

They were in Donghyuck’s bed now, a music video to some group Jaemin hadn’t bothered to learn the name of playing in the background as Donghyuck played with his hair. He could see why Donghyuck enjoyed it so much. It was very relaxing. Donghyuck’s fingers threading through the strands of his hair made him feel almost boneless. He was practically melting into the bed.

His relaxation was cut short by a knock at the door. Donghyuck grumbled to himself as he got up, and Jaemin pushed his face into the sheet. He looked down at his hands and almost laughed. They were stained bright red from Donghyuck’s hair dye.

“Hey Hyuckie,” Johnny said, and Jaemin sat up to see him standing in the doorway. Donghyuck stepped back with a smile, letting Johnny walk into the room. “Hey Jaemin.” There was something wrong with his voice. It wasn’t light and excited like it usually was. It was his Bad News Voice. He’d heard it every time Johnny canceled on Jaehyun. Anxiety bubbled in Jaemin’s stomach. His mind jumped to every worst-case scenario he could think of in thirty seconds.

“What’s up? Jaem and I were waiting for Mom and Dad so we can watch a movie.” Donghyuck was still smiling, voice full of childlike glee. He just kept getting cuter and cuter in Jaemin’s eyes.

“Your parents can’t watch the movie tonight kid. They got swept into an unexpected meeting and it’s looking like it’ll be a long time,” Johnny explained and the anxiety in Jaemin’s gut disappeared almost instantly. No worldly crisis to worry about.

But Donghyuck didn’t seem to feel the same way. His face fell the second Johnny stopped talking and Jaemin frowned. What was the issue?

“Thanks for telling me, Johnny. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Donghyuck said, voice emotionless. Jaemin hated it.

“No, wait! We can still watch the movie together,” Johnny said, smiling.

Donghyuck sent him a tired smile and shook his head.

“I’m fine. I know you’re tired and I don’t need you babysitting me anymore.” Johnny went to argue, but Donghyuck slammed the door in his face. He walked back over to his bed and buried himself in his comforter, hiding from Jaemin’s view.

“Donghyuck? What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching out to pull the blanket away from his face. Donghyuck didn’t respond, just pulled the blanket closer. Jaemin huffed.

It felt like they were back at square one. Radio silence. Jaemin wouldn’t stand for that.

"You're acting like a child. You're throwing a tantrum because your parents, who are in charge of the country, don't want to watch a stupid movie with you?" he said, standing over Donghyuck’s blanket cave and crossing his arms over his chest.

Donghyuck flung the comforter off of his head, and threw it at Jaemin. With snarled teeth and blazing eyes, he cried, "Get out."

"No! It’s my job to be your friend. And that means being here while you’re having some kind of meltdown you won’t explain.” He was trying not to let his temper get the best of him. Did Donghyuck think he’d give up that easy?

"God, do you ever shut up about your job? I get it. You have a civic duty or a boner for my dad or whatever makes you come here to bug the living shit out of me every day. But that doesn’t mean I gotta tell you what’s wrong with me."

Jaemin rolled his eyes and sat back down next to him. "What's bugging you, you big baby? You were fine before." He poked him in the chest and got his hand swatted away. Whatever Donghyuck said was mumbled as he broke their heated eye contact and started to play with his fingers.

"I didn't hear that," he said, nudging Donghyuck’s leg with his sock-covered toes.

"It's my birthday," he repeated, looking up. His eyes shone with unshed tears and he frowned when Jaemin made eye contact with him. Jaemin could feel his heart crack in his chest at the look on his face.

"Oh. Well now I feel like a dick," Jaemin noted, startling a laugh out of Donghyuck. His laughter turned into quiet tears and Jaemin pulled him into a hug without caring about how desperate it made him look. Everyone needed to be hugged when they cried.

Donghyuck’s body shook as he cried and Jaemin could feel the warm tears soaking into his shirt. It was heartbreaking.

A few minutes of Donghyuck crying and Jaemin rubbing his back, he pulled away with a sniffle. He wiped the tear streaks off his cheeks with his blanket and let out a watery laugh.

“Sorry for all of that,” Jaemin wanted to say he didn’t have to apologize but Donghyuck kept talking. ”I don’t usually care that much when they flake on me because I know they have stuff to do, but I figured they’d try to take the night off for me or something.” He shrugged and Jaemin frowned.

“You don’t have to apologize. I get it,” he said, reaching out and grabbing Donghyuck’s hand. Donghyuck sent him a sniffly closed mouth smile and he squeezed Jaemin’s fingers. “You wanna watch a movie with me instead?”

Donghyuck smiled, just a tiny bit wider, and nodded. Ten minutes later he was asleep on Jaemin’s shoulder, their fingers still interlaced.

-

Later that night, on the drive home, Jaemin turned to Johnny at a stoplight.

“I have a crazy idea and I want your help.”

-

“Where are you taking me?” Donghyuck asked for the twentieth time since they’d gotten in the car. It would’ve been way more irritating if it wasn’t so cute.

“You’ll find out in like four-ish minutes,” Jaemin answered, smiling at him. Donghyuck pouted at him and he quickly averted his eyes so he didn’t spill the secret. He was taking Donghyuck out for a surprise birthday celebration.

Much quicker than expected, they pulled up to their destination. Pressing his nose to the glass, Donghyuck looked out the window. Jaemin wanted to laugh at how much he was acting like a little kid. 

With a confused noise he asked, “What the fuck is a Skateland?”.

In the driver’s seat Johnny scolded him for swearing. Then he turned and trained his scary professional look on Jaemin.

“You get an hour and a half, then we leave,” he reminded and Jaemin nodded. He sent him a salute then he was pushing Donghyuck out of the car.

“Have you ever roller skated before?” he asked once they were standing in front of the entrance.  
Donghyuck shook his head and he grinned. This was gonna be so much fun.

-

“Jaemin,” Renjun said, staring between him and Donghyuck. Donghyuck was shyly avoiding his eyes and holding onto Jaemin’s pinky under the table. Jaemin nodded. “That’s the President's kid.”

“Yeah, I know. Guys, this is Donghyuck. Hyuck, these are my friends, Renjun and Jeno,” he introduced. Jeno had the common sense to say hi and send Donghyuck a smile, but Renjun just blinked at him owlishly. The table quickly fell into an uncomfortable silence.

“Ok, well, I’m gonna take Hyuck to get some skates.” Jaemin gently pushed Donghyuck out of the booth and guided him to the skate stand. Donghyuck seemed amazed by the rainbow carpet. Jaemin didn't want to tell him it probably hadn't been changed or cleaned since the eighties. He wouldn't be ruining the magic.

Once he had his skates, Jaemin helped him get onto the floor, where he promptly fell onto his back. A little boy who couldn’t have been older than seven zoomed by and laughed at him. He whined in the back of his throat and Jaemin cooed.

Jaemin grabbed his hand to help him up but Donghyuck wouldn’t let go, shaking his head when he tried to untangle their fingers. He was wobbling on his feet like a deer first learning how to walk.

“You’re never going to learn if you don’t try,” Jaemin said then shuddered when he realized he sounded like his dad.

“I’m cool with never learning,” Donghyuck muttered and Jaemin snorted.

“Do you want a six-year-old girl in her Barbie roller skates to show you up?” he asked, hoping to play into Donghyuck’s competitive streak. He knew it worked when he saw the hard glint in Donghyuck’s eyes.

“Okay, teach me.” He excitedly started to skate on his own, only to lean too far forward and end up bringing Jaemin down with him. They laid on their stomachs, still holding hands and laughing so hard it was uncomfortable in their positions.

“Maybe wait for me next time.”

-

An hour into their outing, Jaemin left the rink to sit back with Jeno and Renjun. Donghyuck looked at home now, skating around under the neon lights with children surrounding him. He was grinning like Jaemin had never seen. He was beautiful.

Renjun cleared his throat and Jaemin looked over, hoping the dark lights covered his blush.

“How do you know the President’s kid? And how did you get him to come to our shitty Skateland?” Renjun exclaimed, waving around the chip in his hand. Jeno laughed as it broke.

“I work with him. I can’t really say more. And it was his birthday yesterday so I brought him here to have a good time,” Jaemin explained, watching as Jeno stole at least four chips from Renjun’s bag. Renjun was too distracted by his shock that he didn’t even notice.

Out of nowhere, Jeno gasped mid-chew, and almost choked to death on the chips in his mouth. After swallowing half of Jaemin’s three-dollar water bottle, he pointed at Donghyuck. Jaemin smacked his hand down before he caught people's attention.

“He’s the guy you work with that you have a crush on, isn’t he?” he dramatically whispered, leaning closer to Jaemin.

“Oh my god! He is! Isn’t he?” Renjun practically shouted. A mother sent him a death glare and he smiled in apology.

“What makes you think that?” Jaemin asked, instead of answering them. He was okay with them knowing he had a crush, but not with knowing who it was. He would never hear the end of it.

“You’ve been making heart eyes at him all day! And you keep holding hands!” Jeno explained, smiling. Renjun nodded so hard that it probably hurt. Jaemin sighed before he leaned in closer to them like Jeno had before.

“Yes, he is my crush. But don’t say anything or I’ll beat you up! I’m not saying anything about it.”

“That’s stupid! He’s been looking at you the same way you’ve been looking at him,” Jeno said, rolling his eyes.

Jaemin froze. Had Donghyuck been looking at him the same way? He couldn't have been. Right?

He looked over to the rink again and saw Donghyuck being pulled in circles by two little girls. He looked so happy, shining brighter than all of the lights shaped like hearts behind him. There was no way someone like Donghyuck liked him back.

-

Roughly an hour later, they were back at Donghyuck’s house. He had surprisingly hit it off with Jaemin’s friends after their initial awkwardness had disappeared, and he’d gotten both of their numbers. Jaemin had also convinced him to skate with the Birthday Panda, even though he said it was creepy. He thought it was a pretty successful night.

"Did you have fun tonight?" he asked as he sat next to Donghyuck. They were shoulder to shoulder, with Donghyuck’s bare thigh pressed to Jaemin’s pant covered leg. There were goosebumps on his skin because of how high the air conditioner was set. Jaemin was delighted.

“Yeah, I had a lot of fun. Your friends are really cool,” Donghyuck answered, smiling. Jaemin didn't think they were cool, but he could kind of see how someone else might think that. “I did have a question though.”

“Shoot.”

“Why’d you take me there?”

Jaemin wrinkled his nose. He knew his face must’ve looked dumb because Donghyuck giggled next to him.

“What do you mean? You’re my friend. And I always take my friends to celebrate their birthdays at Skateland. It’s tradition,” he explained. Donghyuck made a little thoughtful sort of hum and nodded. Jaemin poked his cheek. “What’s up? I can feel you thinking.”

“Nothing. It’s just.. I’ve never had a friend before. Like a real true friend. And I’m kind of worried that you’re just my friend because it’s your job,” he admitted, looking at his fingers. Feeling bold and a little upset, Jaemin grabbed his chin and made Donghyuck meet his eyes. There was light reflected on the window behind his head, forming a halo behind him.

“I’m your friend because I wanna be, you dumb baby. I wouldn’t have let you be so mean to me before if I just cared about a paycheck. You’re cool and nice and fun and your know every dance ever made and you have the prettiest voice I ever heard and you’re a dumb idiot a lot of the time. Of course I want to be your friend,” he ranted, ignoring the dumbstruck look on Donghyuck’s face. “If I didn’t want to be your friend I would’ve quit by now.”

Donghyuck nodded, then he smiled with his teeth and Jaemin was blinded by the glow.

“I’m gonna do something really stupid and ironic right now,” Donghyuck announced and before he could even ask what he meant, Jaemin’s face was being grabbed by. He was pulled forward and then Donghyuck’s mouth was on his.

His hands were warm on Jaemin’s cheeks, almost as warm as his lips. He was warm all over, igniting a fire in Jaemin’s chest. He pulled away and Jaemin gasped for breath, even though they’d kissed for less than thirty seconds.

“Was that a bad idea?” he asked, blinking away the stars in his eyes.

“Maybe,” Jaemin admitted. “Do it again.”

Donghyuck didn’t have to be told twice. His touch was gentle but his mouth was feverish. Thankfully Jaemin could stand the heat.

His fingers let go of Donghyuck’s chin to twist into his hair and grab at his shirt, pulling him closer. Donghyuck responded with a gasp and kissed even harder than before.

Just as Jaemin had bit his lip, trying to deepen the kiss, they heard the door open. They pulled away, panting and flushed and there was Mark standing there with his wide eyes even wider in shock. He didn’t say anything, just blinked and closed the door behind him.

Jaemin barked out a surprised laugh, and Donghyuck quickly followed, resting his head on Jaemin’s shoulder.

“Don’t ever tell anybody but that was my first kiss,” Donghyuck whispered into his neck.

“Can I have your second one too?” Jaemin asked, definitely purposefully flirting. Donghyuck snorted and swatted his chest, but he didn’t say no.

-

Jaemin woke up on Sunday morning, feeling exceptionally happy, despite the tiredness under his skin. When he went home, he stayed up until two in the morning, just talking on the phone with Donghyuck.

They had decided they were going to be boyfriends, which was exhilarating to Jaemin. He'd never had a boyfriend, unless you counted the awkward two-week relationship he'd had with Renjun in sixth grade.

Smiling to himself, he got up from his bed, stretching. As he walked to the kitchen, his phone buzzed in his hand.

From: Johnny  
You need to come in to work today.

To: Johnny  
??? why? is hyuck okay?

From: Johnny  
Yeah. The Big Man wants to see you for some reason.

Jaemin choked on the water he'd been drinking. What did the President want to see him for? His mother looked at him quizzically. Before she could ask what was wrong, and before he could ask Johnny what he was needed for, he got another text.

From: Hyuck <3  
you wanna come over today?

Confusion flooded Jaemin's head. Donghyuck didn't know about his dad sending for him?

To: Hyuck <3  
actually ur dad asked to see me? Johnny's gonna pick me up soon

From: Hyuck <3  
oh? but yay! im gonna smooch ur face

So, Donghyuck didn't know why he was needed. It felt weird, bordering on uncomfortable, not knowing why the President wanted to see him. It felt like being called to the principal's office when you were sure you hadn't done anything wrong.

He got a text from Johnny saying he would be there in twenty minutes and to dress nice, but not to wear his suit. Jaemin was tired of people ragging on his suit.

"What's going on love?" his mother asked. He finished the water in his glass and sat next to her at the table.

"Mom, the President wants to meet me," he explained and she choked on her toast, much like he had before. He patted her back as she gasped for breath.

"He wants to what?" she shouted. He laughed and she repeatedly smacked his shoulder. "Don't laugh! Why does the leader of the country want to see you? What did you do?"

"I don't know! Johnny just texted me and said to get ready," he said and she gasped. She hopped up from her chair so fast that it fell. She yanked Jaemin up by his forearm and pushed him back in the direction of his bedroom.

"Get ready you fool! Wear your nice sweater!"

-

Jaemin couldn't stop bouncing his leg on the drive to the house. He felt like he had drunk too much caffeine in one sitting, which was odd because he drank an excessive amount of very strong coffee.

“Stop bouncing,” Johnny chastised putting his hand on jaemin’s knee, once they were at a stoplight. “I’m sure he has a good reason to want to see you.”

Jaemin nodded and tried to sit still. He still wanted to know why he was called on, but for now he’d just hope for the best.

-

The second he was inside the house, Donghyuck was throwing himself into his arms. Jaemin’s heart fluttered in his chest. Donghyuck’s laughter filled his ears as they hugged and he knew they were wearing matching grins.

“Hey,” Jaemin said, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice. Donghyuck pulled away from their hug, still smiling and he grabbed Jaemin’s hands.

“Hi!” Donghyuck chirped. His eyes were twinkling and his cheeks were flushed. Jaemin was sure he looked the same.

Johnny cleared his throat and Donghyuck pouted at him.

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Don’t give me that look. He’s gotta talk to your dad now. So, don’t get all smoochie in the hallway when he’s got important things to be doing.”

Donghyuck whined but he dropped Jaemin’s hands. Jaemin’s nerves came back full force as he started to follow Johnny. They were going to go through the middle door, for the first time since he’d started working there.

Just as Jaemin was about to step through, Donghyuck grabbed his hand, yanking him into his embrace. He was pulled into a kiss that had him forgetting his fears. Donghyuck’s lips were just as warm and soft as the night before.

“Go,” Donghyuck teased, like he wasn’t the one who had stopped him. Jaemin wanted to lean in and kiss him again, but Johnny was calling his name. Donghyuck sent him one last grin before he was turning around and walking through the door.

-

Jaemin’s heart was in his throat as he stood in front of the door. The President’s door. The door to the President’s office. Oh, God.

Johnny knocked on the door and Jaemin felt like he was going to puke.

“You got this,” Johnny whispered as he opened the door. Jaemin nodded, though he wasn’t so sure.

The first thing Jaemin noticed when he walked in was how stuffy the room was. It felt like the air was stagnant. Then he noticed how the chair was turned to face the window. The President’s chair.

“Sit down please, Jaemin. You can go now Johnny,” he said, without turning around, His voice was deep, deeper than it sounded on tv, and Jaemin felt like he could feel it vibrating through his bones. But that might’ve just been him shaking. Johnny shot him one last smile before he walked out of the room.

Once, the door was closed, the President turned around. Jaemin was reminded of just how handsome he was. He had the same nose as Donghyuck and his eyes shined with mischief when he looked down at Jaemin. Jaemin was also reminded that the President was six foot five.

“Hi, Jaemin. How are you?” he asked, smiling the smile that won him the election. President Lee had won the election in a landslide, due to his fairly neutral policies and the fact that he was a hunk.

“Uh, hi, uh, sir? Mr. President? Hello,” he stammered and the President laughed. Oh no, the President was laughing at him.

“You can call me, Mr. Lee. You don’t have to be so nervous,” he said, and Jaemin was reminded of Donghyuck. He was pretty and intimidating. Jaemin was definitely going to puke after this.

“Um, what did you want to see me for, Mr. um, Mr. Lee?” he asked, failing to sound as confident as he wanted. Mr. Lee’s smile fell from his face and Jaemin’s stomach dropped. What had he said wrong?

“I just wanted to know your intentions with my son,” Mr. Lee said, folding his hands over his desk. He laughed at the surprised look on Jaemin’s face.

“I’m sorry, what?” he asked, voice slightly too high in his confusion. Mr. Lee laughed, throwing his head back and Jaemin was once again reminded of Donghyuck. He never realized how many habits kids took from their parents.

“I heard from a little birdie that you took my son on a date yesterday, and that you two were kissing. I just wanted to know what your intentions were. My son is in a very high position and I want to make sure you’re not taking advantage of that.” Mr. Lee looked serious for the first time since Jaemin had entered. It was kind of scary.

“I would never take advantage of Donghyuck’s status! I hadn’t even thought of that. All we do is watch movies and hang out. And I really, really like him. Like a whole lot. Like, a lot, a lot,” he rambled, and Mr. Lee’s face softened. He smiled and Jaemin bit his lip.

“Donghyuck seems just as fond of you as you are of him. He’s mentioned you at almost every family dinner in the past month. I just wanted to make sure the feeling was mutual,” Mr. Lee explained. He looked very pleased with Jaemin’s awful dorky ramble. Jaemin could finally feel his nerves start to fade away.

“Oh, yeah. It’s super mutual,” he said, just to embarrass himself further. Thankfully, he was saved by the door opening. Donghyuck walked in, looking adorable in his socks and pink t-shirt.

“Dad, are you done kidnapping my boyfriend?” he whined, pouting. Jaemin wanted to kiss him so bad, but he couldn’t do that with his father watching. Donghyuck walked in with a smile and plopped himself into Jaemin’s lap.

“Please don’t do PDA in front of me. I’m still your father,” Mr. Lee reminded and Donghyuck snorted. Jaemin wanted to pull him closer, but he didn’t want to push his luck.

Donghyuck kissed his cheek, just to be obnoxious and got out of his lap with a loud groan. He pulled Jaemin out of his chair and out of the room, calling that they were going to watch a movie. Mr. Lee called that they had to keep the door open, making Jaemin blush at the implication.

-

The second they were inside Donghyuck’s room, he slammed the door just to be a brat. Then he tackled Jaemin down and smothered his face in kisses. Jaemin laughed and pushed him away.

“Did you know your dad was going to do that?” he asked and Donghyuck shrugged. That was a yes. Jaemin meant to complain, but it was muffled by Donghyuck’s lips and then he was too distracted.

When they finally pulled away for air, Johnny opened the door and let out a shout of surprise. Then he left the door open as he walked away, muttering about love-struck teens giving him a heart attack.

“You know,” Jaemin started, smiling up at Donghyuck, who was lit up with the sun streaming in through his window. “I’m really happy I decided to take this job.”

“Even though I was really mean to you?” Donghyuck’s eyes filled with guilt and Jaemin stroked his cheek with his thumb, pressing another kiss to his lips.

“Even though you were really mean to me. I’m happy I met you.” Jaemin felt like his soul was shining with his honesty and it was reflected on Donghyuck’s face.

“I’m happy I met you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> cc: yoongistungun  
twt: gayhyckie


End file.
